During a segment on her program on Tuesday, NBC host Megyn Kelly questioned whether the use of blackface on Halloween is racist. Now the internet is torching the former Fox News host.
“But what is racist?” Kelly said Tuesday morning. “You truly do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface at Halloween or a black person who puts on whiteface for Halloween.”
“Back when I was a kid, that was OK, as long as you were dressing up as like a character,” Kelly continued.
Kelly then referenced TV personality Luann de Lesseps’s decision to dress as Diana Ross with what appeared to be darker makeup during a premiere of “The Real Housewives of New York” earlier this year.
De Lesseps immediately drew criticism for the look, which many perceived to be blackface, and issued an apology.
“I was being an impersonator for Halloween. I didn’t mean to offend anyone by being Diana Ross for Halloween, it just didn’t even kind of enter my mind … I wasn’t at all worried about that, and all of a sudden it became a thing,” de Lesseps said at the time.
“People said that was racist and I don’t know, I felt like, who doesn’t love Diana Ross? She wanted to look like Diana Ross for one day. I don’t know how that got racist on Halloween,” Kelly said Tuesday.
Guest panelist Jacob Soboroff, a reporter for NBC News responded that he hadn’t seen de Lesseps’s impersonation of Ross, but added, “It sounds a little racist to me.”
Jenna Bush Hager, former President George W. Bush’s daughter, said she also thought the impersonation sounded racist.
“I can’t keep up with the number of people that we’re offending just by being normal people,” Kelly went on.
Kelly has stoked controversy for her views on race before. In 2013, the then-Fox News host drew criticism after she declared on television that Santa Claus and Jesus were both white.
NBC News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Watch the video and some of the responses below:
Megyn Kelly wonders what the big deal is about blackface pic.twitter.com/07yvYDuAYe
— Tommy Christopher (@tommyxtopher) October 23, 2018
@megynkelly I thought you were a journalist? Do you not know the history of black face? Do you not know of Al Jolson?
— C. (@CThewildmare) October 23, 2018
Sounds about white
— 💀The Legend of Sleepy Mikey💀 (@Mike_77Martinez) October 23, 2018
Oh, you're free to wear black face if you like. My only ask is, if you're bold enough to put it on, be bold enough to venture out of your neighborhood in it and keep that same energy.
— Catch Boyardi (@Catchboyardi) October 23, 2018
If there is no issue with blackface i invite @megynkelly to put some on and take a stroll through the south side of Chicago. It solves 2 problems, proves shes wrong and gets rid of her permanently
— Sean Jones (@LokiBighog) October 23, 2018
Personal safety aside… the reluctance, shame, guilt and self conciousness one would feel behind that ridiculous face full of shoe polish is the truth serum needed for this "I don't see what the big deal is" jig that they do.
— Catch Boyardi (@Catchboyardi) October 23, 2018
I know, I have to look it up myself a few months ago. Unbelievable that someone can be that openly racist and still on network television.
— weegee56 🎃❄🎃❄🎃❄🎃❄ (@weegee56) October 23, 2018
Girl, I can't. pic.twitter.com/FVdekEE1O6
— Mo B. (@MoBettaMo) October 23, 2018
She’s still on TV?
— Christine Galea (@chrisgalea) October 23, 2018
I refuse to believe that she is this ignorant. She knows exactly why blackface is offensive. She simply says things on air that will get her ratings get her name trending and energize the segment of this country who enjoy hearing people justify and promote racism
— Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) October 23, 2018
